Gifts
by Snehalotr
Summary: A rainy morning brings unexpected gifts for Arwen and Aragorn


Gifts

Disclaimer: Lord of the Rings belongs to J.R.R Tolkien. This story is just for fun, no profit is being made.

...

Arwen sighed with discomfort. They had both known that bearing a child was harder for elves but she hadn't expected to be so easily tired. She had ignored the pain, pushed herself to take part in councils, laughed away his concern until things had come to a head one day when she had to call on her husband's assistance to make her way back to her chambers. That Aragorn was worried was clear to everyone, although Arwen secretly admitted to herself that she was worried too. She had been present at the time when Eowyn gave birth and there was altogether too much blood, too much pain in her opinion although the child at the end had warmed her heart. She had known when the time was ripe for her child to be born and had willed it to be so. Estel had been delighted at first, his dream of home and hearth finally realized in her, but as the months passed he became increasingly worried as her strength diminished. The women in the city muttered that her form was too slender to bear a child, the elven midwife was aghast at the growth of the babe within her. None knew what to expect or when the babe would be born.

After the incident she had given in to prudence and stayed away from councils. Her days were spent in the gardens, the sounds of growing life soothed her worry, although many were scandalized to see their queen in mud and dirt. Estel would visit her in the garden, telling her about the matters of the state. He did not deny her this pleasure, the blood of the Sindar ran deeply in her. But today it rained. Her husband had looked most apologetic as he had left her to her own devices.

With sudden decision she stood up and started pacing in their room. She had dismissed her attendants preferring the solitude. She opened her closet and ran her slender fingers through the rich fabric. An expression of distaste clouded her face as she looked on the heavy fabric, the customs and clothing of Gondor had filled her with dismay. The rich, heavy fabrics were stuffy and formal, nothing like the bright colors and the light dresses she was used to. But she knew the importance of appearance and Gondor's queen was always impeccably attired. Her expression brightened as she took in the light elven dresses, their sight and smell a reminder of Imladris. Perhaps after the child was born, they could go north. She knew her husband too longed for the northern air.

Tired with her examination she moved onto her husband's dressing room. Shades of black here and more pompous clothing. She kept searching until she found the faded green of his ranger clothing. Despite its ragged appearance, she remembered it most fondly above all of his kingly clothing. But less than the white he had worn in Lothlorien, a lovely smile graced her face as she remembered the early days of their love. She continued searching within his clothes, enjoying the smell and trace of her husband. Unfolding a cloak, she was startled to find several items clattering to the floor. She knelt on the floor curious to see what had fallen. Some were handcrafted items. Perhaps her husband had whiled away his time in the wilds crafting small items to pass the time. Some of them were items for a lady, bracelet made with polished wood, a beautifully polished box for small jewelry, wilted flowers that smelt most wonderful. There were polished pebbles that she had never seen and sand that glowed red in the light.

He had travelled further than any known man and seen much. Ever he could amuse her with his tales of travels although they both knew it must have been bitter at times. Perhaps these were the token from his travels. Why would he hide it though? she wondered. She collected her find and took them to their bed to better see in the light.

When she entered her room, she found Aragorn waiting for her.

"You have an impeccable sense of time Estel" she remarked with a smile. He looked at her questioningly and then glanced at the cloth in her hands.

"I see you have been exploring" he answered drily. "Did you hope to discover something?"

She laughed merrily in answer, pressing a kiss and then guiding him to their bed.

"I did discover many treasures in this innocent cloth" she said carefully laying the items on the bed and watching her husband's expression closely.

Hi features displayed his surprise before he touched them and murmured, "I had forgotten about these."

"What are they?" she asked. "Tokens from your travels."

He shook his head meeting her eyes and said, "Your begetting day gifts."

It was her turn to be surprised but her face brightened in pleasure as she turned with renewed attention to her gifts.

"Why were they never given to me?" she asked.

"Dirt for the Lady of Imladris?" he replied in mirth lying back on the bed.

"It is of a most unique kind" she replied curiously examining it again. "It it from Harad?"

"Yes" he said playing with the strands of her hair.

"We were not betrothed then" she replied a question clear in her voice.

"No we weren't" he said. There was a silence as she waited patiently for him to go on.

"In the year I left Imladris I travelled far to the dwarven lands and was gifted a wonderful treasure. It struck me that your begetting day was nigh and in my youth I was determined to present you with this token of my affection and confess my ardent devotion" he said his tone light with remembrance. "Following events had me robbed and of what remained of my treasure I sold for food."

"In all things I persevere" he said "and in this too I was determined to find something worthy".

"The following year during the slow summer months I was resolved to succeed. My passion still burnt bright and my hope was high but many cares came that year and for many years afterwards I thought naught of gifts although you were ever present in my thoughts."

"In Gondor when I looked upon Denethor's joy, I felt a deeper sense of envy. I could not think of another even though many years had passed since we had seen each other. In despair of having something to do I tried crafting a bracelet. I put much thought and time into it. I left Gondor in haste and it was lost to me."

"But it was a strange comfort" he said with a self deprecating smile. "To craft something for you, I could see your slender wrist" he said, his hands gently holding hers "when I was crafting that bracelet, see you dancing in the glade of Imladris when I saw strange and beautiful flowers."

Arwen listened mesmerized, her husband was known for his taciturn moods and was seldom so eleoquent.

"In Harad where the stars burnt bright and strange, you were nearer to me than in years, I took some of that rare sand as a sign of remembrance."

"In Lothlorien" he continued kissing her hand, "my greatest desire came to be fulfilled I barely remembered my tokens and when I did they paled in significance, seemed worthless."

"But now it was impossible to stop. Any item of beauty I would chance upon I would squirrel away for you. Most were lost to me and others were never what I wanted them to be but I couldn't bear to throw them away."

"I am glad you didn't" she replied, her eyes tender. "May I keep them?"

"They are yours to do as you wish" he replied.

"We are both fools, you and I" she replied with a quick smile as she drew away from him and made her way into her dressing room returning with a wooden box.

She opened the box and he glimpsed a lock of silver and dark hair, some tiny portraits, pressed flowers and a sheaf of letters.

Arwen took the sheaf of letters and handed it to him.

"I was most ardent in my love for you. In the months following your departure I hardly knew what to do with myself. There was much I wished to tell you, much I desired to hear from you even though I knew it would not be so and our wait would be long. But I did not want to forget so I wrote." she said.

"I am afraid the first few letters were fairly gushing with admiration for you. I wrote in great length about my ardent love of you, the agony of being parted from you. I planned in great length our escape together. I spent hours wondering where we should settle and spend our lives, caring naught for duty. When some semblance of sense returned I was embarrassed to read them but I knew they would make you laugh and so I kept them."

"Never would I mock your feelings" he replied warmly, his fingers caressing the letters in reverence. "You could not be worse than I was."

"You may be surprised" she replied leaning against him. "I wrote to you of the season's change, of Adar's distress, the trivial happenings in Imladris. I could imagine your response and it was a great comfort."

"Why did you never give them?" he asked.

"You returned to me but rarely, with many cares, ever weary and in dire need of healing" she replied softly, her fingers tracing his dear face. "It was clear to see that Imladris was dear to you, to taunt you with letters of hearth and home, of people who you barely caught a glimpse of would have been cruel."

"To know that you had thought of me, confided in me your cares and dreams, no matter how trivial would have been a gift beyond price."

"As would have been the tokens you had gathered from all corners of Arda which is why dear husband you and I have been such fools" she answered.

"I had my cares and worries as you have remarked upon. You have no such excuse" he replied, capturing her wandering fingers.

Her answer was a smile which turned into a grimace as she straightened up to sit up on the bed.

"Rest Arwen" he said, sitting up himself. "You tire easily . Pilfering through my belongings must have been tiring".

Her mirth answered his. "How low I have fallen!" she said with good humor as she leaned against the pillows, arranging her feet on his lap. "To be tired while going through your clothes is an embarrassment. Elladan and Elrohir must never hear about this!"

"They will not from me" he promised, his hands massaging her feet. She sighed with pleasure, eyes closing in rapture. Opening her eyes to voice her gratitude, she watched his eyes straying to the bundle of letters.

"You can read the letters if you so wish" she said amused.

He placed a quick kiss on her feet before eagerly reaching for the letters. "I must say I am very curious to read of my many attributes" he replied with a smile, his fingers carefully opening the parchment.

She watched him as his eyes rapidly moved over the parchment. His lips twitched and her own curved in amusement as he threw his head back and laughed.

"When I was in Gondor as Thorongil someone composed The Lay of Thorongirl in my honor" he replied his eyes twinkling. "A most enthusiastic attempt that was glowing in praise and made me very uncomfortable. I confess this is much worse". His eyes warm with pleasure took the sting from the words.

"If only you had put your words on paper when we first met under the birches in Imladris, we would have been even" she replied.

"The sentiment is still there my lady, never fear! Long years have taught me patience else they would be bursting forth every minute and what kind of King that would make me?" he asked.

"I would hardly be the one to complain" she replied.

"I fear your plan of escape would have never worked" he said, the letters drawing his attention again. "You hold your kinsmen in very low esteem" he remarked, swiftly moving away from her intended kick.

He stretched out beside her, lying on his stomach, the letters firmly in his grasp, grinning unabashedly at her.

She smiled at his playfulness, "Forgive me for being so caught up in our love. I did not have daily perils to keep me occupied."

"I planned my schemes in the midst of the perils you speak of. Perhaps that is why they were more likely to succeed." he replied.

She sat up animated, her face suffused with delight, "You never spoke of them!" she exclaimed.

"And I never will!" he replied, kissing her beloved face. "They were made in moments of envy after too much ale had been consumed."

"Perhaps your kinsmen will be more obliging" she mused, lying down again.

"They swore they wouldn't breathe a word" he said.

"There are other ways" she said, her eyes twinkling at him.

"Yes there are", he replied. "But you are as much in my mercy as I am in yours."

"And may it ever be true" she said.

Hearing no response from him she rolled on her side to face him. His face had turned somber. Curious, she drew herself closer to see the words herself. The ink was smudged, bitter words graced the parchment and she lay back remembering those times.

"It was a bleak year" she said. "My brothers were away and there had been no word from them for a while. Adar was worried even though he hid it well. And you, you had been gone for a long time searching for Gollum. I felt your distress but I could not reach you at all" she said, her fingers idly running through his hair, her eyes holding his gaze. "You were hidden from me. I tried again and again to seek out your fea. Ada found me, staring blindly outside my window and called me back. I had never felt so helpless" she said softly.

"And so I took out my wrath on you for listening to Mithrandir. You could have stayed in the north with your kinsmen, stayed close to me, but you chose otherwise."

"Would that have been enough?" he asked quietly.

"Never" she responded easily. "I was ashamed when morning came. Although it didn't stop me from being short with Mithrandir the next time I saw him."

"He was unusually contrite the next time _I_ met him" Aragorn said with a wry smile.

Arwen laughed and said, "It is most pleasing to know that"

"You are not the only one to give into despair" he said. "Being treated like a worthless vagabond was galling to my pride. Suspicion and fear greeted me everywhere I went."

Mirth fell from her as her eyes flashed in fury.

"We should visit the north in all pomp and glory, and knock on the doors of all who had turned you away" she said. "Then you can enjoy their profuse apologies."

"I would have never thought you so vengeful" he said in surprise.

"I grudge every wound to you" she replied, her gaze intent. "You who had sacrificed so much while they enjoyed their home and raised their children in safety."

"In truth it couldn't have been in any other way" he said, his voice contemplative. "Their disdain accorded me my safety."

"Yet it was painful" she stated.

"It was. Had I your gushing letters with me, my sorrow might have been less." he said, drawing out another burst of laughter from her.

Impulsively she drew him close and kissed him soundly. "You dear, beloved man!" she said, her voice soft, her eyes tender. Aragorn kissed the hands that drew him close and said, "On another day I would bask content in your admiration. but today greater treasures await".

"I am glad they bring you such joy" she said, sitting up and reaching for her box.

"I will tend to my own treasures", she said in answer to his questioning look. Carefully, she began arranging his gifts leaving him to peruse her letters.

A comfortable silence for some time. Arwen finishing first, leaned back against her pillows and closed her eyes. She was startled from her reverie when she felt her husband's arms surrounding her waist, drawing her close to him.

"In all my years, this has been the dearest gift" he said next to her ear.

She turned her cheek to ask, "Which one did you love best?"

He kissed the turned cheek and said, "The one where you wrote of Lady Celebrian".

She smiled in memory, "I had felt her close to me that night. It had been a long time before I could think of her with pleasure and the memories were all the more sweeter for that."

She felt him smile against her hair. His grip tightened before he released her regretfully.

"I must leave you now for the afternoon council"

She watched him put his boots on and as he carefully separated the letters into two piles. One pile he carefully placed it on his desk. The other pile he placed it in his pockets.

"I fear I cannot bear to be parted from the the letters praising my virtues and comparing to me an elf lord", he said, his tone somber, his eyes laughing.

Arwen reached for a pillow to fling at him but he had already left the room. Smiling anew at her husband's playfulness, she settled in for her afternoon rest, idly thinking of ways to draw some embarrassing stories from his stern kinsmen.


End file.
